Zunheboto, March 8 (MExN): The District and Sessions Court, Zunheboto, has convicted Sharma Nayak (44 years), alias Johal Naiak, under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, sentencing him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.
A sum of Rs 20000 was also imposed on the convict, with additional month of simple imprisonment for non-payment of the fine.
The judgment, delivered by Special Judge Phuleto Yeptho on 27 February, pertains to Special POCSO Case No. 06 of 2023 and Nayak was found guilty of repeatedly raping a minor girl — aged 14 at the time of the offence — in early 2022.
In the ruling, the Court found the prosecution had successfully established that Nayak had committed penetrative sexual assault on the minor victim on two separate occasions while he was a tenant at her family's home.
The DNA profiling confirmed that he was the biological father of the victim's child, further solidifying the charges under the POCSO Act.
In defence, the convict claimed the relationship was “consensual.” However, the court emphasised that the victim's age — supported by documentary evidence — rendered the issue of consent irrelevant under the POCSO Act.
The Court also directed the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, Zunheboto, to initiate the necessary inquiry and award compensation to the victim under the Victim Compensation Scheme.
The sentence accounts for the time Nayak has already spent in detention — one year and seven months — which will be deducted from the overall term.
As per the Special Public Prosecutor Zunheboto, the case pertains to Special POCSO Case No. G.R 82 of 2023 in correspondence to Zunheboto Women P.S case No-06/23.
